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CASE HISTORY

The Factory of the Present

A Community Regeneration Project in Matera

In the heart of Matera, the village of La Martella has become the epicenter of an innovative community design project called “The Factory of the Present – Community Conversations.”

Curated by Donatella Caggiano and Brunella Guida, in collaboration with the Adriano Olivetti Foundation, this initiative draws inspiration from the Olivettian “Factories of Well-being,” models of human regeneration that place citizenship and its needs at the core of their design.

The Vision Behind the Project

The Factory of the Present aims to foster a sense of belonging and active participation among community members. Through a series of structured conversations across three distinct phases—past, present, and future—the project seeks to transform dialogue into concrete action.

Utilizing tools of dialogue, design coaching, and future studies, it focuses on people, spaces, and interactions.

La Martella: A Community Laboratory

The pilot project was conducted in La Martella, a historic village initiated by Adriano Olivetti in the 1950s. This post-war community saw collaboration among architects, social workers, engineers, and sociologists to create spaces that restored dignity and a sense of belonging to its citizens.

The First Conversation:
Archaeology of the Past

The first conversation took place within the Quaroni Theatre in La Martella, where participants were invited to reflect on the past through a guided walk narrated by a local historian.

The shared stories inspired participants to capture photographs representing elements of the past they wished to bring into the present.

Insights from

The First Conversation

This phase revealed a divide between the residents of La Martella and new inhabitants. Discussions highlighted feelings of exclusion among the Martellesi and differing perceptions from the people of Matera, underscoring the need for mediation and dialogue.

The Second Conversation:
Activating the Present

Back in the community circle, participants were designated as “community activators” to transform the captured photographs into concrete actions. The group explored themes of connection, global contamination, and the return of functions and services, ultimately focusing on connection.
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Pivot and New Commitments

A moment of reflection led to the decision to expand the community circle, involving new participants for the final workshop. This pivot emphasized the importance of organizing engagement events independently of local gatekeepers.

The Third Conversation:
Imagining the Future

The expanded circle engaged in a future study, working on scenarios for La Martella in 2030. Two groups envisioned extreme scenarios: one negative, involving landfill expansion, and one positive, where La Martella becomes a self-managed community project. From these scenarios, concrete actions emerged: a research project to convert decay into resources and the collaborative drafting of a charter of values.

Insights from

The Third Conversation

Despite the absence of institutional figures like the mayor and the cultural assessor, participation was collaborative, with young and older members ready to actively contribute. A clear intention to turn the desire for change into reality emerged.

Insights from the First Conversation

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Conclusions

The project unveiled two different interpretations of belonging in La Martella: a small group of residents who feel ownership of the village, and a broader community eager to be part of it. The Materan community sees La Martella not as “other” but as “ours,” highlighting a desire to explore new forms of connection. The initial goal of assisting the local community in overcoming obstacles in their cultural revitalization process revealed that the real challenge was creating new connections beyond the barrier of the small group of residents. Maintaining this outcome requires strong alliances and a network project with future actions, involving entities such as the Foundation and the Municipality. “The Factory of the Present” has demonstrated how dialogue and active participation can be powerful tools for community regeneration, fostering a sense of belonging and contributing to the construction of a shared future.